There are many fuel threads out there, but after lots of reading I'm still unsure which product, if any, I should use during my first winter with a diesel tractor.
I live in southern Indiana, where we may see temps anywhere between -10F and 65F over the next several months. My BX is kept in an attached garage that is always above freezing, but if I have to move snow, I could potentially be out for a couple of hours, and I'm concerned about fuel possibly gelling during a cold spell.
I buy my diesel 5 gallons at a time from a local Citgo station. I'm not sure what kind of winter blending they might do, but I was thinking I would treat each 5 gallons with Power Service Diesel Fuel Supplement +Cetane Boost, the cold weather product from the Diesel Kleen company. It seems to get good reviews, is readily available in relatively small amounts, and reasonably priced. But the following from their web page has me slightly concerned: "is intended for use only during cold winter months when temperatures drop below +30F." I'll also be using the tractor for firewood duty throughout the winter, so may get in significant meter hours while temps are in the 50's, possible even warmer. I'm sure nothing catastrophic would happen, but I'm just curious about any downsides to this type of product in warmer weather.
Stanadyne Performance Formula and Opti-Lube XPD are two other products that interest me based on what I've read. Both get a lot of praise, and unlike the Power Service product, I can't find anything that says they're ONLY for use in below freezing temps. It looks like I can pick up Stanadyne at some auto parts stores, but Opti-Lube only appears to be available online, and only in much larger quantities than I need.
I suspect any of these products would work fine for me, and any differences might be negligible. And I might be fine doing nothing at all, given that I buy fuel in relatively small quantities and keep my tractor indoors. But I'll probably treat anyway just to be on the safe side, and need to pick which product.
Thanks for any assistance!
Jack
I live in southern Indiana, where we may see temps anywhere between -10F and 65F over the next several months. My BX is kept in an attached garage that is always above freezing, but if I have to move snow, I could potentially be out for a couple of hours, and I'm concerned about fuel possibly gelling during a cold spell.
I buy my diesel 5 gallons at a time from a local Citgo station. I'm not sure what kind of winter blending they might do, but I was thinking I would treat each 5 gallons with Power Service Diesel Fuel Supplement +Cetane Boost, the cold weather product from the Diesel Kleen company. It seems to get good reviews, is readily available in relatively small amounts, and reasonably priced. But the following from their web page has me slightly concerned: "is intended for use only during cold winter months when temperatures drop below +30F." I'll also be using the tractor for firewood duty throughout the winter, so may get in significant meter hours while temps are in the 50's, possible even warmer. I'm sure nothing catastrophic would happen, but I'm just curious about any downsides to this type of product in warmer weather.
Stanadyne Performance Formula and Opti-Lube XPD are two other products that interest me based on what I've read. Both get a lot of praise, and unlike the Power Service product, I can't find anything that says they're ONLY for use in below freezing temps. It looks like I can pick up Stanadyne at some auto parts stores, but Opti-Lube only appears to be available online, and only in much larger quantities than I need.
I suspect any of these products would work fine for me, and any differences might be negligible. And I might be fine doing nothing at all, given that I buy fuel in relatively small quantities and keep my tractor indoors. But I'll probably treat anyway just to be on the safe side, and need to pick which product.
Thanks for any assistance!
Jack
